Montegrappa Writing Prize 2016

The Montegrappa Writing Prize 2016 is now open.

Submit synopsis of 400 words and first 2,000 words of your manuscript, which will be read and judged by top UK Literary Agent, Luigi Bonomi. The Prize includes individual sessions with Bonomi and a trip to the London Book Fair 2016.

The top 5 participants will be able to discuss their work with Luigi Bonomi at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2016. The overall winner will also receive an Emirates return flight to London to enjoy the London Book Fair, 11-17 April 2016.

Give yourself the best chance of winning the Prize with a workshop with an editor to be held by the Festival during October at the Dubai International Writers’ Centre. (open to registrants and participants only).

The Montegrappa Writing Prize, launched by Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in 2013 with Montegrappa and Luigi Bonomi Associates, is a Prize aimed exclusively at UAE residents who have never had a novel published. All entries are read by Luigi Bonomi Associates and the winner receives a trip to London Book Fair and lunch with Bonomi.

While the Prize does not guarantee a book deal, the results speak for themselves. 2013 Prize winner Annabel Kantaria secured a three-book deal with Harlequin and her winning novel Coming Home was published in May 2015. 2013 runner-up Rachel Hamilton received a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster. Her debut children’s book The Case of the Exploding Loo earned rave reviews as did the sequel, The Case of the Exploding Brains. In early 2015, Chicken House acquired the rights to 2014 runner-up Lucy Strange’s Moth and the Nightingale, for publication in 2016.

The 2015 Prize was won by Claudine Pabst, whose young adult fantasy manuscript The Reluctant Thief follows teenager Mara Bloom as she discovers a hidden world and new powers that can help save its people. Kim Adams was first runner-up for her contemporary novel, The 9 Lives of Catherine Lewis, and second runner-up for 2015 was Steven Bainbridge for his Japan and Korea-set mystery story, Comfort Men.

Luigi Bonomi is a literary agent who has launched the careers of many bestselling authors. He is the founder of Luigi Bonomi Associates (LBA), which represents a variety of authors, journalists and writers, including John Humphrys, Esther Rantzen and Alan Titchmarsh. In addition to his day job, he is Honorary Professor of Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University and Literary Consultant for the Sunday Times Oxford University Literary Festival. In 2010 he won the Bookseller Industry Award for Literary Agent of the Year.

• The Montegrappa Writing Prize is open to adult writers over 21 of any nationality who are currently resident in the UAE
• The novel can be any genre, but must be in English
• It is imperative that participants entering the Prize intend to complete the manuscript, either before or shortly after the winners are announced in March 2016
• Entrants must not have had a novel published before* (see below for explanation)

What is the prize?

The winner receives:
• a trip to the London Book Fair, 11-17 April 2016, to include flights with Emirates and accommodation
• a Montegrappa pen
• one copy of the current Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook

Four runners-up will receive:
• a Montegrappa pen
• one copy of the current Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook
• an individual feedback session with Luigi Bonomi at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

What are the rules?

Please read these Prize rules carefully. If you enter, we will assume that you have read these rules and that you agree to them.

• The entry fee of 200 dirhams is payable online before submission.
• Your synopsis must be 400 words maximum. Please put the synopsis at the start of your submission
• Submit ONLY the first 2,000 words of your manuscript
Important note: Any entries without a synopsis or longer than 2,000 words will be disqualified

Manuscripts must be:
• double-spaced, with pages numbered consecutively
• in Arial, Courier or Times New Roman font | 12 point size
• saved as “Manuscript Title – Your Name.”
• submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document via the web site. Forms can be submitted on this page from October 2015.

Terms and Conditions:
• No part of a prize is exchangeable for cash or any other prize
• The prize will not be transferable to another person
• The Prize is not open to employees (or members of their immediate families) of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
• By entering the Prize the winner agrees to participate in such promotional activity and material as Emirates Airline Festival of Literature may require
• While the Literary Agent will give advice to the Author at their luncheon, the Literary Agent will be under no obligation whatsoever to represent the winning entry
• The winner must be available to travel to London Book Fair 11 – 17 April 2016 and provide their own visa and travel insurance. Please note that travel to and from the airport and meals during the stay are the winner’s responsibility and do not form part of the prize.
• The judge’s decision is final and he cannot engage with entrants for future editorial work or respond to email communications
• The winner will be announced during the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2016
• The winner must be available to attend the prize-giving event in Dubai between 1-12 March
• All entries will be read by Bonomi Associates

* WHAT CONSTITUTES A PUBLISHED NOVEL: For the purpose of this Prize, a “Published Novel” means a work of fiction of at least 40,000 words in length that has been published or distributed, in part or whole, in paper or electronic format or in any other medium, excluding, however, self-published works.

Winners will be announced only at the prize-giving ceremony held during the Festival. All participants are required to attend the event.

Name of Entrant (required)

Email Address (required)

Telephone Number (required)

Your Entry (required) Your entry should comprise a synopsis of 400 words and the first 2000 words of your manuscript. Please read the terms and conditions. We accept submissions in .doc, .docx, .rtf and .odf formats

I certify that I have read and agree with the terms and conditions

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It is imperative that participants entering the Prize intend to complete the manuscript, either before or shortly after the winners are announced in March 2016